100 Most Deadly Days For Teenage Drivers

Traffic deaths for young drivers increase dramatically during summer months.

WGNO News Reporter Darian Trotter has more on how road safety experts are raising awareness.

Summer time is considered the most deadly days for young drivers.

It’s when more young drivers are killed behind the wheel.

Derrick Harris, his parents, and his driving instructor want to make sure he’s not one of them.

“We do know that teens do get killed here in Louisiana,” State Police Spokeswoman Melissa Matey said. “It’s because of poor decisions behind the wheel.”

State Trooper Melissa Matey says lack of driving experience has a lot to do with it.

“When you take them out of school and you put them in the social fun environment of summer, they tend to make poor decisions that include drunk driving, texting and driving, and all these other distractions behind the wheel to include passengers.”

Louisiana law restricts the number of passengers teens can have the first year they hold a license.

They cannot have more than one person in the vehicle under the age of 21 between 6pm and 5am.

New Orleans Safe Driving School Instructor Jewel Carney says passengers can become distractions.

“Especially if they get in strong, strong conversation,” Carney said. “Even experienced driver like you and I, if we get in strong conversations we gonna want to look at the person talking like this.”

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety teenage drivers have a fatality rate nearly three to four times greater than adult drivers.

They have the fewest number of driver’s licenses, but account for the most crashes.

Teenagers are also most likely to get into some type of crash within six month of obtaining a license.

Because parents make mistakes too, Carney teaches his students to do better.

“I say to them, don’t drive like your parents drive,” Carney said. “Drive the way we taught you to drive because mom and dad may be bad drivers.”

One week into classes Harris says they’ve helped him become a better driver.

“I mean I was somebody who was just driving behind the wheel, you know, but I feel I got better because I learned more from the class,” Harris said.